A BCF Huckel being listed as the genuine Indiana Jones hat.

[MattJH]

Or: No good deed goes unpunished.

It has a Buy It Now price of $76.95. I'm not going to post the link to the live eBay auction per The Fedora Lounge rules, but here are some direct cut/paste quotes from the auction description:

"This is not a cheap souvenir hat. The Internet is full of “official” “licensed” Indiana Jones hats. This is the real thing ... There is simply no better hat found anywhere in the Indiana Jones fedora style. Hats like this sell presently in stores and online for $175.00 or more. This hat is not for everyone; it is for the person who wants the finest Indiana Jones style fedora hat ever made –VINTAGE FEDORA HAT- the top of the line, ultimate in quality and perfection. It isn't "Like" Indiana Jones, It isn't "Almost" Indiana Jones. This is the real thing, only it is not a “licensed” hat. IT IS A PERIOD FEDORA IN MINT CONDITION."

I sent him a polite message educating him on what he actually has and why his entire auction listing is false and now he's reporting me to eBay for harrassment.

For your entertainment, here are two photos of the Indiana Jones hat; the one that sells for $175 in stores, the finest Indiana Jones style fedora hat ever made. And vintage. Don't forget that it's vintage:

 

[Orgetorix]

That's deplorable. I have that exact hat, and it's no Indy hat.

This seller is despicable--nowhere in his listing does he say anything that is a direct lie (so it'd be hard to report him to Ebay), but the entire thing is intended to mislead and defraud. People like this anger me.

 

[MattJH]

His attitude isn't so great, either:

ME: "You listed a Huckel hat. You can purchase these for as little as $25 new at Burlington Coat Factory. There is only ONE official Indiana Jones hat - the Herbert Johnson Poet that Harrison Ford wore in the movies. Yours isn't even the correct color, bash, or ribbon. The closest you can get these days to an Indiana Jones hat is the Akubra Federation or the Adventurebilt. Please do not mislead potential bidders with false information, regardless of whether or not it was intentional. Thanks."

HIM: "This is harassment. This is not a question. No one asked for your opinion on hats. Your question ? will be reported. Sorry to not consult with your highness on his expertise of hats before auction was placed. Have a good day and do not contact me again."

ME: "It's not harrassment; I'm trying to help you and educate you. I didn't state opinion. I stated fact. I'm attempting to help YOU avoid accusations of fraud when the winning bidder, assuming anybody bids on it, gets the hat in the mail and realizes it's a cheap, very low quality fur felt fedora that doesn't resemble whatsoever the Herbert Johnson Poet that Harrison Ford wore. If eBay contacts me regarding harrassment, I'll gladly point out your fraudulent listing. It's simply misleading. I'd suggest you do the right thing and list what you actually have; a Burlington Coat Factory Huckel fedora that sells for $25 - $35, not the $175 you inaccurately claim in your auction description. You also state that it is vintage. It is not vintage. You also state that Kennedy affected hat wearing. He didn't. Actually, you copied that last portion from somewhere else because I've read it before. Your entire auction description, from start to finish, is completely false. I won't send another message."

HIM: "Nobody here asked your opinion, which is what you comment is, HARRASMENT. Thanks for letting me know you are also an expert on the age of an item you have not seen. If you think the item is below your high standards I suggest you do not bid and mind your own business. Just because you are an expert on hats and I am not does not make this aution misleading. It is a good hat. Original price paid for this hat, also bought on auction, was $35.00. You have been reported a second time."

So, you know, it's going nowhere. But I tried to fight the good fight.

 

[Orgetorix]

Well, I contacted him too. We'll see what kind of nastygram he sends me.

 

[Rick Blaine]

whatta d0ucheb@g!

If I am not mistaken, this is either the Low Crown Metro or the Barcelona model by Huckle available even at the height of the winter season for 35 bucks at any BCF... Don't mistake me, it is a nice hat f/ that price, no question, I have one in a buff color in my den right now... but oh well, what more can ya' do? CAVEAT EMPTOR as the man said, an educated consumer is hard to cheat. You could always be a real dirty dog & drop a dime on this joker to anyone who bids on his item...hehhehheh...

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Golly, this guy is a real jerk. As an ebay seller, I do everything in my power to give an accurate description. I always air on the side of caution. Ebay is a selling system based on trust, too many sellers take advantage of this trust and ruin it for the good sellers there.

I think you should all email him about his mis-leading sale. Fill up his mailbox with messages about how wrong he is. Then see how ebay handles harassment!

 

[Orgetorix]

His reply: "Don't you have anything better to do? I know I do. If you want to bid $40 that sounds good to me.waah"

 

[Tango Yankee]

I was curious as to how he'd respond to a question about the hat that an average person might ask. I sent him a note saying I don't recognize the crest and asking what company made the hat or what brand it is. His response:

"There is no company name or brand name on the crest or in the hat. Sorry."

A carefully worded response that cannot be construed as fraud--he didn't say that he didn't KNOW what brand it is.

Cheers,
Tom

PS: Just sent a follow-up question: "So you don't know the actual brand or age of the hat?"

 

[Orgetorix]

However, he's almost certainly wrong, deliberately or not. Here's the sweatband from my identical BCF hat:

 

[Tango Yankee]

However, he's almost certainly wrong, deliberately or not. Here's the sweatband from my identical BCF hat:

You're right. On closer examination of the photo of the underside of the hat you can see that there is printing on the sweatband. I guess he's counting on my not winning the hat and being able to call him a liar. I doubt that his answer to me will be posted on the listing.

Tom

 

[Tango Yankee]

One more question sent to him

"Hey, I just noticed this. A closer look at the photo of the underside of that hat reveals that there is writing imprinted on the sweatband. Please post photos of the writing. In the meantime, please let me know what it says. It may help in identifying the hat."



Wonder if I'll hear from him again?

 

[Orgetorix]

Make sure he shows the writing on both sides. The other side just says "100% Fur Felt."

 

[Tango Yankee]

I will if he bothers to reply--you can see that there is writing on both sides in the photo.

Even if he doesn't, I think I'll notify eBay of a potential fraudulent posting based on the fact that I've never seen a decent hat without a manufacturer's name imprinted on it and he claims there isn't one despite the imprints visible on the sweatband.

What an idiot.

 

[MattJH]

Maybe this vintage finest Indiana Jones style fedora hat ever made transcends mortal things like "labels"... or "facts."

 

[deanglen]

If I am not mistaken, this is either the Low Crown Metro or the Barcelona model by Huckle available even at the height of the winter season for 35 bucks at any BCF... Don't mistake me, it is a nice hat f/ that price, no question, I have one in a buff color in my den right now... but oh well, what more can ya' do? CAVEAT EMPTOR as the man said, an educated consumer is hard to cheat. You could always be a real dirty dog & drop a dime on this joker to anyone who bids on his item...hehhehheh...

This style looks like one I know you have, Rick, or is it very different?

dean

 

[Jay]

After reading into this foul matter, I sent him a message as well. Maybe it'll take if we collectively inform him of his "mistake."

 

[Miss Neecerie]

on the other hand...

its ebay...people get stuff wrong all the time...etc..

Its a buyer beware sort of place, and we cannot patrol it just because we know more about items then a lot of sellers.

At a certain point, having a whole slew of gentlemen basically bug the crud out of the seller, does become of a harassing nature...and will not 'educate' him on hats at all.

 

[fedoralover]

on the other hand...

its ebay...people get stuff wrong all the time...etc..

Its a buyer beware sort of place, and we cannot patrol it just because we know more about items then a lot of sellers.

At a certain point, having a whole slew of gentlemen basically bug the crud out of the seller, does become of a harassing nature...and will not 'educate' him on hats at all.

Point taken, but on the other other hand, it didn't sound like he wanted to become an informed seller. So I e-mailed him too. Did someone say "piling on"?

fedoralover

 

[Snrbfshn]

Is that the bandwagon going by?

'Cause I'm going to jump on it, too. Sending a message now. Twerp. And wouldn't you know it - my size, too.

 

[rongoms]

umm....if it doesn't have a brand name written anywhere, how does he know it's the "licensed" version?

Ebay message sent.
eBay trademark team informed.

God, i love being me sometimes.....[bad]